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Man Fatally Shot By Deputies Was Unarmed, There Was a Warrant Out for His Arrest

Screenshot (CBS Los Angeles)

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More details are emerging about the man fatally shot by deputies last night in Lancaster. The sheriff's department said that the man was unarmed, and that there was a warrant out for his arrest.Deputies said, in a statement, that they wanted to stop the man because he was riding a bike without a headlight in a dimly-lit area. When they asked him to stop, they say the man dropped his bike and ran behind a nearby building. Deputies shot him after a short chase, claiming they felt threatened when the man reached for his waistband. However, the sheriff's department said that deputies never recovered a weapon from the scene.

The sheriff's department did not confirm the identity of the man, but they described him as a gang member from Inglewood who had recently moved to Lancaster. They said he had three felony convictions on his record and that he was on probation for receiving stolen property. There was a felony narcotics warrant out for his arrest, according to the statement.

Family members identified the man as Christian Cobian, a 26-year-old man. Cobian's mother Carmen told ABC 7 that she loved her son very much and that she did not understand why the sheriff's department shot and killed him. She told the TV station her son would never carry a gun or hurt anyone.

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